Orisa is synonymous with productivity. Above and beyond their colors, prayers, songs, sacrifices and dances, the deities govern all the disciplines needed to sustain a community. Stated differently, Orisa Lifestyle is characterized by collective work and responsibility. (Continue reading…)

Ife people are ancient, originally spiritual, highly advanced artistic and agriculturalist Yoruboid-speaking people that forms the sub-group of the larger Yoruba people of West Africa, particularly in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. The Ife people are “primus inter pares” when it comes the origin and spirituality of Yoruba. They are the first Yoruba people from which all other Yoruba people emerged and dispersed to form other Yoruba sub-groups in the world. Ife people are found precisely in the city of Ile-Ife, which sits in the Southwestern Nigerian State of Osun. This ancient “Yoruba Spiritual Mecca” of a city is surrounded by hills and is about fifty miles (80.467kms) to Ibadan and Osogbo. The city of Ile-Ife is also known as ‘Ife’ or ‘Ilurun’ which means ‘the gateway to heaven’ (Eluyemi 1986:16).
Ife people celebrating their Obatala festival at Ile Ife

Ori-olokun sculpture which sits at the entrance of the ancestral city of Ile Ife.

Throwing the bones is an ancient divination technique where bones, shells, stones, coins, and other curios are thrown and the pattern in which the objects fall give insight and answers to questions. Cultures from around the world have bone reading … Continue reading →

Awódélé Ifáyemí is offering a free online video course to help those who would like to train as babalawo, to understand the fundamentals of Ifa. You don’t want to miss this. If you have been considering becoming a babalawo, or you are an olorisha who just wants to learn more about the Odu Ifa, this is a unique opportunity to learn with guidance.

Despite that many are being converted to these foreign religions, we still have some people who are embracing Ifa here in Nigeria and even abroad. This is because the knowledge of Ifa is spreading wide. Before, very many people didn’t know what Ifa was all about. Those who brought these foreign religions tried hard to rubbish Ifa and they painted it black to make our people accept their religions. Many people are afraid of traditional religion and they were not proud to associate with African Traditional Religion.

But now some of those who attend churches and mosques are now embracing African Traditional Religion. More people are now being initiated in this religion. Lots of Europeans and Americans are coming to be initiated into Ifa worship. Some people came from United Kingdom recently to be initiated into it. This is what early missionaries rubbished to have their religions spread to us but I am happy that their offsprings are now coming to embrace it.

The Yoruba tradition has gained in popularity among blacks exploring African spirituality because of its accessibility in America. The Yoruba ethnic group is one of the largest three in Nigeria and those who have immigrated to the United States, have brought the teachings of Orisha and Ifa the systemic basis of Yoruba spirituality with them.The fact is while West African-derived religions have historically been looked down upon, research shows that more African-Americans are exploring and adopting them. Many of these African-Americans were Christians and have either completely abandoned the Christian doctrine, like Jones, or are still incorporating Christianity with the West African-derived religions to create a unique, sort of ‘on-demand’ syncretism.